President to Invite Representatives of School Unions and Drucker to Meeting

Paris, November 8 (TASR) - I'll invite representatives of school trade unions and Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) to a meeting next week, President Peter Pellegrini said after Friday's meeting of the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. The head of state said he'll reflect positively on the letter from the trade unionists regarding the request for a meeting. They want to address the current situation in education and the possibilities for increased funding of the sector. "Next week, sometime later in the week, after my return from a business trip to Azerbaijan, I'll invite the school union leaders to the Presidential Palace," said the president, adding that he'll also invite the head of the Education Ministry to the meeting so that they can discuss how to calm down and stabilise the situation of Slovak education directly in the presence of the minister in charge. The trade union sent a letter to government representatives last week to initiate negotiations for a pay rise. Its argument centred on the need to boost teachers' motivation through better financial compensation. The union highlighted that low salaries are a key reason for the lack of interest in the teaching profession. It was also critical of the pay for non-teaching staff, emphasising that schools cannot function without these workers. Even though the union said it's hopeful for a satisfactory resolution, it didn't rule out protests if an agreement isn't reached. As a last resort, it claimed it is considering a strike. am/mcs